Arsenal are undertaking their most significant overhaul of the club leadership since their recent revival, with Richard Garlick rising to chief executive and a number of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment executives being appointed to the board, with Tim Lewis stepping down as executive vice chairman.
The change is also being seen as potentially significant in Premier League politics, given that Lewis had become one of the most forceful and influential voices over the past half-decade.
He was a staunch advocate of strong financial regulation, and outspoken on the issue of state ownership. The corporate lawyer took a strong line on ongoing investigations into Manchester City over Football Leaks, to the point that the relationships between the two clubs recently hit an all-time low.
The stance within Arsenal is that this represents their desire for constant “evolution”, as co-chair Stan Kroenke spoke in a statement about their “desire to always move forward”.
A number of KSE executives have been appointed to the board as non-executive directors, including Kelly Blaha, who has an accounting background, and Otto Maly, who has worked in real estate, as well as long-time KSE advisor Dave Steiner.
“They will bring the KSE family closer together and offer a wide range of expertise to strengthen Arsenal,” Kroenke said.
That line is being viewed as significant by some industry figures given that there has been an ongoing push to increasingly integrate Arsenal into the wider KSE sports assets groups, with that process led by Kevin Demoff.
The developments have nevertheless led to shock within football’s higher circles akin to when Daniel Levy left Tottenham Hotspur, since Lewis had essentially been ultimate owner Stan Kroenke’s man at the club.
He was responsible for the last huge shake-up at Arsenal from 2020, with sources describing how “open-heart surgery” was performed on the club at that point, having previously advised Stan Kroenke and KSE on their investment in Arsenal between 2007 and 2018.
Lewis’s responsibilities gradually extended way beyond legal matters, as he pushed for the centralisation of the football side of the club around Mikel Arteta.
The 62-year-old was also heavily involved in transfers, leveraging his relationship with Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish to swing the Eberechi Eze deal.
Garlick has meanwhile become a respected figure within football, having previously been at West Brom before working as Director of Football at the Premier League through the challenges of Covid.
He went from there to Arsenal as Director of Football Operations in 2021, before rising to managing director in May 2024 and now Chief Executive Officer. Garlick is generally seen as a more measured figure against the forthrightness of Lewis.
That’s also why many in football are curious as to how Premier League politics will now play out, since Lewis was one of the most forceful voices.